1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engine auxiliary equipment mounting construction in which an engine main body and auxiliary equipment attached to an engine are connected to each other via an auxiliary equipment bracket.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally known is an engine auxiliary equipment mounting construction in which an auxiliary equipment is directly mounted to an engine main body to thereby reduce the size and weight of the engine. In the auxiliary equipment mounting construction like this in which the auxiliary equipment is directly mounted to the engine, however, there is caused a problem that in many cases it becomes difficult to mount to the same engines a plurality of types of auxiliary equipments which vary depending on destinations and specifications of vehicles. In addition, there is caused another problem that the size and mounting position of the auxiliary equipment puts limitations on the layout thereof.
Then, there is known an engine auxiliary equipment mounting construction in which auxiliary equipment is designed to be connected to an engine main body via a strong auxiliary equipment bracket, whereby the problems inherent in the auxiliary equipment mounting construction in which auxiliary equipment is directly mounted to the engine can be solved simply by modifications in construction and configuration of the bracket itself (for example, refer to JP-A-62-78343U).
However, the conventional auxiliary equipment bracket is disposed between an engine main body and auxiliary equipment in such a manner as to project from the engine main body, and in order to support the auxiliary equipment stably via this bracket, a relatively large number of tightening bolts are needed, and also the bracket needs to be formed relatively large, sturdy and thick. Therefore, in addition to increase in the weight and cost of the bracket, the numbers of components and man hours for assembling need to be increased. In addition, the auxiliary equipment needs to overhang from the engine main body by an extent equal to a space taken by the bracket, and this caused a problem that the engine needs to be enlarged. In addition, this problem tends to get more remarkable as the size and weight of the bracket itself need to be increased when the rigidity and strength of the bracket are tried to be increased.